Trap-board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

A game comprising a playing board having a plurality of individual defineable playing areas thereon, at least one separate movable playing piece or object for each player, and a plurality of separate barrier means for disposition on the playing board, the individual playing areas and barrier means having cooperative dimensions such that a plurality of barrier means is required to enclose a playing area on the playing board. The game is played in an attempt by one player to surround a playing piece of another player on a playing area of the board so that the playing piece cannot escape from the playing area.

United States Patent Goldfarb et al.

[ 51 Oct. 30, 1973 TRAP-BOARD GAME APPARATUS Filed: Feb. 28, 1972 Appl. No.: 229,666

US. Cl..... 273/131 B, 273/130 F, 273/131 BA Int. Cl. A63f 3/00 Field of Search 273/130, 131, 134

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 715,927 8/1965 Canada 173/130 F Primary ExaminerDelbert B. Lowe Attorney-Robert M. Ashen [5 7] ABSTRACT A game comprising a playing board having a plurality of individual defineable playing areas thereon, at least one separate movable playing piece or object for each player, and a plurality of separate barrier means for disposition on the playing board, the individual playing areas and barrier means having cooperative dimensions such that a plurality of barrier means is required to enclose a playing area on the playing board. The game is played in an attempt by one player to surround a playing piece of another player on a playing area of the board so that the playing piece cannot escape from the playing area.

11 Claims, 5 Drawing l igures Patented Oct. 30, 1973 E S E E E S E. E m E E Z 11 S E w a E E C E E z E iXfXiXi\f%i El c E E T E: Z M

Q E E E E E FIG. 3

FIG.2

TRAP-BOARD GAME APPARATUS There have been many board games in the past which involve two players moving playing pieces in an attempt to achieve a desired object. One of the oldest such games, of course, is chess. Another is the well known game of checkers. In most of the games, the playing board is divided into a plurality of playing areas which are defined as alternately colored squares or the like. The pieces move from one square to another in a manner dictated by the type of game involved. In many of these prior art games, an attempt is made to capture another players piece by moving onto the same square located thereby.

In the game of chess, particularly, one of the objects involves an entrapment of the king on the playing surface. As is well known, a checkmate is achieved when the king is surrounded by opposing pieces in such a manner that any movement of the king will result in its capture by one of the opponents pieces. Such is accomplished by positioning the opponent's pieces to playing areas adjacent that on which the king is located through a series of moves so that the entrapment of the king is achieved. Such involves considerable strategy and advance planning as to the moves to be utilized, both on behalf of the player in possession of the king and the opposing player who is attempting to entrap the king. Chess and some other board games have relatively complicated rules and cannot be readily played by young children, thus appealing mostly to sophisticated adults or younger individuals with superior intellects.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a game which involves the entrapment of playing pieces on a playing surface.

Another object of this invention is to provide a game having simplified rules such that it can be played by children as well as adults while being intellectually appealing to persons of all ages and mental abilities.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a board game that can entail the utilization of strategy and planning of moves so as to accomplish the desired entrapment of an opponents playing pieces on defined playing areas of the playing board.

The above and other objects of the herein invention are accomplished by a game which involves a playing board having a plurality of geometrically defined playing areas. The game is preferably played by two players, with each player having an assigned number of playing pieces. The playing pieces are initially disposed on predetermined playing areas of the playing board. Each player is additionally provided with a plurality of barrier means which can be placed on the playing surface, each barrier means serving to enclose one side of a geometrically defined playing area. For example, if the areas are in the form of hexagons it will require six of the individual barrier pieces to completely close a playing area. The objective of the game is to trap the opponents play pieces within individual areas on the board so that they cannot move from one playing area to another. This is achieved by surrounding a piece completely with the barrier pieces. In one preferred embodiment, the playing board has a plurality of slots surrounding each playing area. The barrier pieces are in the form of chips which are partially insertable in the slots and extend vertically upward from a playing board surface in the form of barrier walls.

It is believed that the invention will be further understood from the following detailed description anddrawings in which: 7

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a playing board that comprises a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 2-2 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 33 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a barrier piece of the preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 5 is a side view of a playing piece of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Turning now to FIG. 1, there is seen a playing board 11 which comprises a preferred form of the herein invention. The playing board may be preferably molded out of a single piece of plastic, so that it will be lightweight, durable and relatively inexpensive. The board 11 is in the general form of a hexagon having an outer side peripheral wall 13. The lower edge 15 of the side wall 13 serves as the support for the entire board. Disposed within the peripheral outside wall 13 is an intermediate wall which provides an upwardly facing playing surface 17. The surface 17 is effectively divided into a plurality of equal individual playing areas 19, each area being in the form of a hexagon. The outer wall 13 is constructed so as to provide sides of a hexagon for the adjoining playing areas 19.

The playing areas 19 within the board are defined by a plurality of recesses 21 integrally formed in the surface 17 of the board. Thus, all the recesses 21 are of equal length and-depth and so arranged to provide a plurality of the hexagon playing areas 19, all with equal surface areas. The recesses 21, which form the hexagons, do not touch adjacent recesses, there being a small separating space 23 therebetween.

Attention is directed to a typical playing area 19a located adjacent the periphery of the board. In such a playing area, four slots 21a serve to cooperate with the peripheral wall 13 to enclose the playing area. In other words, the peripheral wall 13 has two sides 27 and 29 corresponding to two sides of a hexagon to cooperate with the slots 21a to define the playing area 19a. Similarly, at a playing area 19b three sides of the hexagon are formed by slots 21b, while the remaining three sides 31, 33 and 35 are provided by the peripheral wall that has been so shaped.

Each player of the game is provided with a plurality of chips 37. The chips are rectangularly shaped and have dimensions sufficient to be seated within the recesses 21 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 and extend upwardly above the board surface to effectively serve as a barrier. Further, each player is provided with a plurality of playing pieces 39 (FIG. 5) for movement on the board. The playing pieces can be of any geometric shape or resemble a figure, providing they have a base portion 41 capable of adequately supporting the piece on the surface of the board. In a preferred embodiment of the game, each player is provided with three playing pieces 39. The playing pieces for one player may be of a different shape than that for the other, or can have a different color so that the playing pieces of a player can be readily identified.

The board may preferably have a plurality of dots 43 or other indicia provided thereon. The indicia or dots 43 are equidistantly spaced from and around the centermost playing area 45 on the board. To begin the game, each player places three playing pieces 39 on three adjacent dots 43 such that there is a total of six playing pieces on the board. The game is played with each player having the opportunity to make two moves at a time. The two moves can comprise moving a single playing piece to two successive immediately adjoining playing areas, or moving two playing pieces each to a single adjacent playing area. Further, the two moves provided a given player can involve the movement of one playing piece to an adjacent playing area and the placement of a barrier piece 37 about the playing piece of the opposite player or at any open recess in the board. Additionally, the two moves can comprise placing two barrier pieces on the board in a manner so as to attempt to surround an opponents playing piece. Thus, it can be seen that the two moves can comprise movement of a playing piece to two adjacent areas, or two pieces each to an adjacent area or movement of a playing piece and the disposition of a barrier, or finally the placement of two barrier pieces. This arrangement adds a particular dimension to the game in that the player must select his moves from two entirely different approaches, one being defensive: namely the movement of his own player, while the other is an offensive action: namely the placement of barriers about the opposition s play pieces. This choice thus makes the game more interesting and presents a greater challenge to the players.

it is to be noted that the barrier pieces 37 are preferably all the same in the game, and thus the pieces assigned one player versus the other player may be identical in appearance. The reason for this is that the barriers disposed on the board can serve effectively to prevent movement of ones own playpiece as the game progresses and the board becomes more fully occupied with barriers. in other words, once the barriers 37 are placed on the board surface, they can inhibit and enclose any of the playing pieces regardless of which player is involved. The game is finally won when all of the playing pieces of an opponent are completely entrapped in playing areas by barrier walls (or barrier walls and the outer periphery of the board when the playing areas are located adjacent the periphery). One interesting aspect of the herein game is that it cannot proceed indefinitely as chess, checkers or other strategy-type of board games in that eventually most of the playing areas will have to be enclosed by barrier pieces (and, in some cases, by side walls 13). This serves an an apparent and obvious limitation upon the duration and in fact the ultimate number of moves that can possibly be made in playing the game. The length of play is also governed by the choice of moves made by the players. For example, if the players decide to move the playing pieces rather than place the barrier pieces on the board, then the game will be lengthened in accord with such a choice.

Though the game is preferably provided with the type of playing board shown and described, it should be apparent that no recesses are needed and the barrier pieces can be self supporting. The advantage of the recesses is that they assure permanent-disposition of the barriers once they are placed on the board. Further, it should be apparent that the playing areas can be any geometric shape including squares, octagons and the like. Circles with curved barriers could also be used.

We claim:

l. A game comprising:

a playing board having a plurality of individual definable non-rectangular playing areas thereon,

a plurality of separate barrier means for disposition on the playing board, there being at least sufficient barrier means, in all, to enclose and surround a minimum of three non-adjacent playing areas,

a plurality ofplaying pieces for disposition on the playing areas, there being at least two pieces per player,

the individual playing areas and barrier means being such that a plurality of barrier means is required to enclose a playing area.

2. The game of claim 1 further comprising:

indicia on said board to indicate the starting position for placement of said playing pieces.

3. A trap game adapted to be played by a plurality of players, the game comprising:

a playing board having a plurality of individual, like six-sided playing areas thereon,'each playing area being defined by six like barrier lines;

a plurality of playing pieces, at least two for each player, these being adapted to be translated between adjacent playing areas;

a plurality of barrier pieces, each being adapted for irreversible disposition on any selected barrier line to thereby bar translation of a playing piece thereacross, at least 12 barrier pieces being provided per player so as to allow him to completely surround and enclose any two non-adjacent playing areas entirely with barrier pieces.

4. The game as recited in claim 1 wherein each playing area is defined, at least in part, by barrier lines, each extending along at least a portion of a side; and wherein said barrier means comprise a plurality of barrier walls, each wall being adapted to be selectively placed along any one of these barrier lines to block passage of a playing piece across this line.

5. The combination as recited in claim 4 wherein there is disposed along each barrier line at least one recess of fixed uniform size and location; and wherein said walls are formed and adapted to be removably inserted into any of the recesses so provided.

6. The combination as recited in claim 5 wherein the number of said walls provided is at least sufficient to occupy a majority of said barrier lines.

7. The combination as recited in claim 4 wherein said plyaing areas comprise equilateral polygons.

8. The combination as recited in claim 7 wherein said polygons are six-sided.

9. The combination as recited in claim 8 wherein each said player is provided with three playing pieces.

10. The combination as recited in claim 9 wherein sufficient of the walls are provided so that each player is'able to surround and enclose all three playing pieces of an opponent with the walls, at least as disposed in conjunction with other playing pieces.

11. The combination as recited in claim 10 wherein the number of the walls provided is at least sufficient to occupy on the order of two-thirds of the said barrier lines. 

1. A game comprising: a playing board having a plurality of individual definable nonrectangular playing areas thereon, a plurality of separate barrier means for disposition on the playing board, there being at least sufficient barrier means, in all, to enclose and surround a minimum of three non-adjacent playing areas, a plurality of playing pieces for disposition on the playing areas, there being at least two pieces per player, the individual playing areas and barrier means being such that a plurality of barrier means is rEquired to enclose a playing area.
 2. The game of claim 1 further comprising: indicia on said board to indicate the starting position for placement of said playing pieces.
 3. A ''''trap'''' game adapted to be played by a plurality of players, the game comprising: a playing board having a plurality of individual, like six-sided playing areas thereon, each playing area being defined by six like barrier lines; a plurality of playing pieces, at least two for each player, these being adapted to be translated between adjacent playing areas; a plurality of barrier pieces, each being adapted for irreversible disposition on any selected barrier line to thereby bar translation of a playing piece thereacross, at least 12 barrier pieces being provided per player so as to allow him to completely surround and enclose any two non-adjacent playing areas entirely with barrier pieces.
 4. The game as recited in claim 1 wherein each playing area is defined, at least in part, by barrier lines, each extending along at least a portion of a side; and wherein said barrier means comprise a plurality of barrier walls, each wall being adapted to be selectively placed along any one of these barrier lines to block passage of a playing piece across this line.
 5. The combination as recited in claim 4 wherein there is disposed along each barrier line at least one recess of fixed uniform size and location; and wherein said walls are formed and adapted to be removably inserted into any of the recesses so provided.
 6. The combination as recited in claim 5 wherein the number of said walls provided is at least sufficient to occupy a majority of said barrier lines.
 7. The combination as recited in claim 4 wherein said playing areas comprise equilateral polygons.
 8. The combination as recited in claim 7 wherein said polygons are six-sided.
 9. The combination as recited in claim 8 wherein each said player is provided with three playing pieces.
 10. The combination as recited in claim 9 wherein sufficient of the walls are provided so that each player is able to surround and enclose all three playing pieces of an opponent with the walls, at least as disposed in conjunction with other playing pieces.
 11. The combination as recited in claim 10 wherein the number of the walls provided is at least sufficient to occupy on the order of two-thirds of the said barrier lines. 